if washington doesn't do something, a lot happens. all the bush tax cuts expire, the payroll tax cuts expire. doctors participating in medicare, see their reimbursements cut by more than 25%. good luck getting a doctor then. more than a trillion dollars in spending cuts are triggered. the economy probably falls back into recession, and merry christmas and happy new year from washington to you, the american people. this basket of problems is what washington calls the fiscal cliff. you've been hearing for months now about the cliff crisis. you've heard a lot about whether or not it will matter, you've heard about the offers and the counteroffers president obama and house speaker john boehner put on the table. if you live in the game area, you're going to be reading about the cliff whether you like it or not. we at starbucks have an opportunity and i believe a responsibility to use our company's scale for good, by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our officials to come together and reach important ground. this week, through